Archives for August 2012

Hakurei Turnips are sweet and delicious sliced raw in a salad. The first time I tried one was also the first year I started farming. Farmer Tom, from Blooming Glen Farm, pulled one from the ground and told me to try it. I was a bit hesitant, assuming all turnips should be cooked. The first bite flooded my senses and started my path on understanding what real food can taste like. Everything grown, harvested, and brought to market at Great Road Farm is done with care by myself and Farmer Sam. It is important to know who your food is planted and harvested by and to know that it involves a lot of labor. Come by McGolrick Park Farmers Market on Sunday and talk to your local farmers!

Chickens help the farm by eating our vegetables that are damaged or will not keep. They love tomatoes and zucchini, which is great because we have plenty of both this time of year. When Agricola opens we will feed the vegetable trimmings to our chickens. This will help diversify their diet and add fertility back to the farm.

Hornworms can cause a lot of damage to our tomato plants. They can be found by looking for missing foliage and some careful observation. I found this hornworm in our tomato field and left it alone to allow nature to do its work. A braconid wasp laid eggs on the hornworm and larvae began feeding on its insides until they were ready to pupate. This picture illustrates the cocoons that wasps will emerge from to continue their life cycle.

Looks and feels like a peach, but tastes like a sweet tomato. This heirloom highlights the diversity of taste, color, and shape that tomatoes are available in. This is not your supermarket tomato! We will have about 15 different varieties of tomatoes this year.